A group of junior doctors at Rajendra Institute of Medical Sciences beat up two journalists with sticks and iron rods on Monday night.

A group of junior doctors at Rajendra Institute of Medical Sciences beat up two journalists with sticks and iron rods on Monday night.

The defiant doctors on Tuesday threatened to hold captive any journalist entering the campus.

The violent assault came after the police filed an FIR against a few doctors who had allegedly manhandled a woman journalist and a photographer from The Telegraph on Sunday.

The doctors had allegedly shoved the journalist who was in the institute on a reporting assignment. The photographer was roughed up when he came to her rescue.

HT reporter Deepak Mahato, who had gone to the institute for a follow-up report on a patient-doctor clash, said the doctors pushed him into a cabin and thrashed him for nearly 10 minutes.

"I was pulled out by the police in time," said Mahato, who sustained head, shoulder and rib cage injuries.

During the assault, the RIMS administration was nowhere in sight. In fact, director RIMS SK Choudhary was seen fleeing the scene via a backdoor, while hospital guards supported the doctors.

The rampaging doctors also beat up Sunny, a reporter with News 11 channel. In fact, they did not even spare the police and some patients who tried to intervene.

The doctors also prevented superintendent of police Anup Birthray from entering the hospital and shoved his body-guards. It took about 100 policemen in riot gear to subdue them.

The police have filed an FIR against five doctors at Bariatu police station.

Ranchi senior superintendent of police Prabhat Kumar said action will be taken against the "errant doctors", while health minister Rajendra Prasad Singh promised the "law will take its course". The RIMS director said he will inquire into the incident.

The doctors, however, seemed unfazed by the FIRs, as they have threatened to take captive any journalist entering the hospital.